Open up your heart
by Kotay3
Summary: The Flying Doctors. Tom and David are stranded after a car crash


**Open your heart**

Dr David Ratcliffe sat in the stuffy office that he shared with his college Tom Callaghan. A month had passed science the wasp's incident that had ended with Tom saving David's live and Chris saving them both.

Tom, the dark, handsome and rather serious doctor. He was a loner, didn't like to sit and gossip or socializing down at the pub after work as everyone else did.

He seemed so bitter sometimes, never letting anyone close. David frowned at the thought. He had tried to befriend him wanting to get to know him better but it was like climbing K2. Impossible.

"David! David!"

David jerked his head up as he was drawn back to reality by Geoff's voice.

"Hey David, D.J got a call from the Redding's farm. A five year old girl has fallen off her dad's tractor and is unconscious. Sam will fly you, Tom and Chris out there but you and Tom will have to take the Land Rover that Kate left there after her last visit, to get back the base". Geoff said.

David looked at him as if he was mad. He and Tom alone, together in a stuffy car for hours. He gotta be joking, that guy didn't know how to smile or crack a joke. That wasn't something that he exactly looked forward to.

"Why can't Chris go with one of us while the other one goes with Sam?" David protested hoping to get Geoff to change his mind.

"Sam's gonna take the C90 which only can take four people including the pilot, and the girl's mom wants to ride with her daughter."

David nodded, He understood that Chris would be a far better company and support for the worried mom that he or Tom, but he couldn't say that he liked the decision. He let out a defeated sigh.

"Ok, where are the others?"

"They should be on their way to the plane. You'd better hurry up."

David rushed out to the waiting plane. He climbed onboard and the plane was in the air. Chris sat beside Sam in the front and Tom sat in the back with a book in his lap and the medic bag in front of his feet. David took the seat beside him.

"Do you think that we'll be back before midnight?" He asked

Tom looked up from the book he was reading.

"Why do you ask?"

David gave him an astonished look.

"Oh, come on, today it's New Years Eve! Aren't you gonna celebrate it down at the pub tonight? Everyone's gonna be there!"

"No." Tom replied and continued reading, clearly showing that he didn't want to discus the subject further.

The plane landed smoothly on the ground close to the house and they rushed out with the stretcher.

Tom was the first one to reach the little girl. He kneed down next to her and checked for the pulse. It was weak. Her blood pressure was dangerously low and her leg lay in an unnatural angle.

"We have to get her to the hospital immediately or we gonna loose her!"

They lay her on the stretcher. David gently fixated the leg while Chris putted the oxygen mask over the girl's nose and mouth and putted the drip in her small arm.

Tom and David lifted the stretcher into the plane as Chris seated herself beside the mother and held her hand in comfort. Sam climbed in ant took his seat at the helm.

Tom and David jumped of the plane and made their way to the Rover. They watched as the plane left the ground and took to the air.

The ride was going just as David had expected it to be. Tom sat at the wheel, quiet as usual. David looked out the window watching as the landscape passed by.

The only thing that broke the silence was the radio playing John Denver's hit Country roads.

The drove for what felt like hours. Then when they were going downhill Tom suddenly lost control of the car.

"David, you better hold on to something!" He shouted before the car crashed into a wall off rocks.

David was thrown forwards by the impact; his head hit the side window and the world turned black.

When David regained consciousness his whole body aced. He quickly checked himself for any injuries but the only thing he found was a small cut on his forehead.

He looked around for Tom and saw him lying unconscious with his head on the steering wheel.

David unfastened himself and reached out for him. He cautiously fastened a collar around Tom's neck, blessing the fact that both of them had their medic bags with them, containing all of the necessary equipments for an emergency situation. He even had oxygen tubes and drip bags.

Carefully he unfastened Tom's seatbelt and gently shook his shoulders.

"Tommy can you hear me? Wake up Tommy!"

After a few seconds Tom's eyelids started to flutter and he opened his eyes and looked around, a bit disoriented. Finally his gaze settled on David's concerned face.

"Shit, what happened? "Tom crocked out between his dry lips. It feels like I've been rand over by a herd of elephants.

Tom tried to move his legs when a sudden pain overwhelmed him and he let out a pained moan.

"What's the matter?" David asked worried.

"My right foot is stuck under the pedal". Tom said in a pain filled voice. There are some painkillers and morphine in the bag.

David reached for a needle and filled the injection with the exact doze of morphine. He made sure that it wasn't any air in it before he gave shoot in his right leg.

After a few minuets Tom visibly relaxed and David noticed that there were hard lines around his mouth and eyes, lines of pain even though he was just half conscious. David felt a bang in his heart when he thought about what could have caused them. He felt like he wanted to make them disappear. Shaking his head to get the odd thoughts out of his mind he started to carefully remove Tom's foot from under the pedal. He succeeded and half dragged half lifted Tom out of the car. The guy weighed a ton.

He lay Tom down in the shade of the rock and rushed back to the car to fetch their bags and to send a mayday through the radio.

David laid the final touch on the bandage and stepped back to admire his work.

He had removed Tom's shirt and a white bandage was wrapped around Tom's chest to support the bruised ribs stood out in contrast to the tanned skin.

He discovered that luckily Tom's ankle was only sprained not broken as he'd first thought.

David smiled and putted away the equipments in the bags after helping Tom up in sitting a position.

"Ok Tommy. That was all. It could have been worse you know."

Tom raised an eyebrow at the cheerful statement.

"Like if this isn't enough?" He replied dryly. "And what's with the nickname?"

David blushed and bit his bottom lip. A smile reached the dark depths of Tom's eyes.

"That must be a nervous habit of his." Tom thought amused. "Well, he sure looks cute when he does that."

"Um...I…"David stuttered embarrassed.

Tom took pity in him and moved on to a much more important subject.

"How's the radio functioning?"

David struck a damp piece of hair from his sweaty forehead.

"It seems to be broken. "He said. "I've tried to send a couple of messages but all you can hear is the sparkling sound of static electricity."

Tom sat in the shade and watched David struggling to get the radio working.

It was something special about that guy that made his heart ace.

He knew that he'd fallen for the younger doc, and he'd fallen hard.

He'd tried to keep his distance from David, afraid that his feelings would show if he let his guard down. Tom knew that he'd probably hurt a great deal of his colleges when he had rejected their warmth and friendship, but it was hard for him to open up, the experiences and memories from his time in Africa was still too fresh.

Eritrea, the living hell on earth. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the small hungry undernourished children begging for food, dead people everywhere and children searching in the dust cans for something to eat. And everyday so many sick and wounded people came to the small hospital, many of the beyond saving.

You always carried the feeling of that whatever you did it was never enough.

What he'd experienced during his time there had changed him.

Tom had tried to explain it to Chris, but she didn't understand. Well, it wasn't like he'd blamed her for it science he didn't fully understand it himself.

Well, anyway. Chris had moved on with her life and it was now up to him to do the same. He needed to put the past behind him, to live in the present and to look forward to what the future might bring.

Tom smiled. He hoped that one day David could be a part of that future, that if he could gather enough courage to open his heart and tell him how he felt, which wasn't the easiest task.

The sun was about to set and the dawn was drawing closer. The air had gotten a bit chilly so David brought a couple of blankets from the car and lit a campfire.

They sat beside each other in silence, only the sound from the fire and the buzzing of the mosquitoes were heard. The first stars had begun to show in the black night sky. David had made a real cowboy meal, beans in tomato sauce and corn from some cans that he found in the Rover. Not that it tasted like a dinner at Hilton but it was better than nothing to fill their empty stomachs with.

It started to get colder. David shivered and tried to put the blanket closer around his body. Tom took one of the endings of his blanket and wrapped it around David sharing his body heat with him. He let one of his arms rest on David's shoulders.

David hesitated but couldn't resist snuggling into the warmth that was offered him.

His eyes met Tom's and he was startled to see that the usual cold expressions that used to shield them was gone and David could see the warmth, love and insecurity in Tom's beautiful brown eyes, knowing that Tom could see that same emotions reflecting in his own. Their lips locked in a loving, yet passionate kiss. The kiss deepened as David wrapped his arms around Tom's neck, letting his hands run through Tom's raven black hair.

David felt his knees weaken. Tow wrapped his arms around David's waist supporting him easily as he felt David's balance falter. This was the kind of kiss that put romance novels to shame; both were pouring their hearts and souls into the kiss.

Slowly the need for air made them part.

"Wow…" It was all David could get out. "That was…Wow." David then blushed beautifully.

Tom smiled softly and had a look of pure love and adoration mixed with desire in his dark orbs.

Their lips met once again in a breathtaking kiss.

Suddenly they were interrupted by the sparkling noise from the radio and Geoff's voice was heard.

"Victor Charlie Charlie to Tom and David. Do you hear me? Over."

David ran over to the car and took up the radio microphone.

"Gday mate. We can hear you. Over"

"Geez David, you had us really worried when we didn't hear anything from the two of you. Where and how are you? Over."

"Hm…"David thought for a second before answering, "I think that we are about half way to the crossing from the farm. We crashed with the car into some huge rocks and Tom got some minor injuries, one of them a sprained ankle and sore ribs. We had some problems with getting the radio to function but it look like it fixed now. How's the little girl? Over."

"She's ok. We had to operate her right away to stop the internal bleedings and her broken leg, but she'll be fine pretty soon. Anyway, Sam will be up in the air soon searching for you.

Oh, and Kate sends her regards and says that she hopes that the two of you haven't killed each other yet. Over."

David chuckled at the statement and sent Tom a loving look.

"Thanks mate, and tell Kate that it's no need to worry. We're fine. See you later then. Over."

"Ok. Over and out."

David made his way back to were Tom sat. Tom placed David between his legs, letting his chin rest against David's soft hair.

"So, what was that about?" Tom asked curiously letting his hands play with David's hair.

'"Well, he asked if where we were and that kind of stuff, and Kate wondered if we'd killed each other or not."

Tom quirked an eyebrow and frowned.

'Killed each other; where did she get that idea from?"

David gave him a surprised look and laughed softly.

"Tommy, ever science we first met we'd never really got along, that until now."

Tom bent his head down and gave David a tender kiss.

"Well, love that is all behind us now." He looked into David's emerald orbs seeing the love that shone within them.

"I…I lo…I love you." He finally got out the words that had been hidden in his heart for such a long time.

David's eyes widened at the words and he threw his arms around Tom's neck and covered his face with kisses.

"I love you so much." He said happily, tears shimmering in his eyes.

The sound of a plane was heard in the distance, first far away but then coming closer.

David got up to his feet after giving Tom another loving kiss and waved to Sam as the plane took ground. Sam and Geoff stepped down to the ground carrying a stretcher.

"Hi guys. Wonderful to see ya!" Sam said with a grin.

"Good to se you too." Tom replied smiling." What took you so long?"

Geoff and Sam helped him to lie down on the stretcher and they made their way to the plane with David carrying the medic bags and the blankets.

"We didn't know where to start looking for you." Geoff answered while closing the cabin door. "We sent several messages through the radio but we couldn't get in touch with you. We'd almost given up when you finally responded."

He and Sam seated themselves in the cockpit and David took the place next to Tom's stretcher holding Tom's hand in his.

As the plane left the ground the cabin clock turned twelve.

David leaned in and kissed Tom, whispering in his ear;

"Happy New Year love."

And love is all that I need  
And I found it there in your heart

It isn't too hard to see  
We're in heaven

/ Bryan Adams


End file.
